


Once More With Feeling

by shadowsamurai



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Waking the Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Humor, Romance, Songfic, Subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-03
Updated: 2012-07-03
Packaged: 2017-11-09 02:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsamurai/pseuds/shadowsamurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Singing and sharing of feelings can not be a good thing...can it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Release Me

**Author's Note:**

> An alternative look at S6, Double Bind, starting with the argument (which I've rewritten). An odd mix of angst and humour, but heavy on the angst. Song lyrics are like \this/, anything in italics is like *this*. Lyrics from this chapter belong to Agnes Carlsson.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)

 

WtD-WtD-WtD-WtD-WtD-WtD

They had been talking so amicably, though to Grace, it was nothing like things used to be. After Mel's death, Frankie's shock departure, and then almost losing Spencer, not to mention the attack on Felix, Grace's relationship with Boyd had deteriorated without her knowing why. Boyd seemed even more reticent, more unapproachable, even to her, and Grace felt as though the distance he was putting between them was causing her to come unravelled. She knew he had no idea what she thought about him, deep down, or how she felt. He was, after all, Boyd; a good policeman, but not overly bright when it came to people and feelings.

The next thing Grace knew, they were arguing, shouting at each other like children in a playground, and she felt herself start to shake. "I can't do this any more, Boyd," she said suddenly, pushing herself away from the desk and standing.

Boyd's eyes followed her, his face a cold, expression-less mask. "What?"

"I said I can't do this any more."

"Do what?"

"This, with you. This constant fighting and arguing," Grace said, her voice trembling as much as her body. "I'm only so flexible, Boyd, and this…environment you've created…I just can't work in it any more."

Boyd rose slowly to his feet, not believing what he was hearing, or even what he was seeing. Grace, who had always seemed so strong and indestructible, now appeared frail, even old, and he didn't like it. But she was also blaming him for everything, and there was no way he was going to shoulder all the guilt.

"Fine. Leave. You can be replaced."

His tone was nonchalant, as though he was throwing an old shirt out and replacing it with a new one, but underneath, he felt sick with the lie he had just told. Unfortunately, he must have been very convincing because Grace's eyes widened, her hand flew to her mouth, and she all but ran from his office, tears already streaming down her face.

Boyd clenched his jaw, ignoring everything around him, not daring to look into the squad room where he just *knew* Spencer, Stella and Eve would be glaring back at him. But a sudden compulsion made him walk outside, made him watch as Grace roughly gathered her belongings together, her movements jerky, revealing her inner distress. As she came out of her room, she looked at the others.

"I'm sorry," Grace said, and was about to say more when she noticed Boyd stood in the doorway to his office, his arms by his sides.

For a brief moment, white-hot hope flared in her chest as she thought he was going to ask her to stay, or admit he was wrong. But the expression on his face was like ice cold water to her optimism and she quickly turned, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry any more. But before she reached the doors, Grace stopped, a sudden anger coursing through her veins, and she wheeled quickly.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, Boyd?" Grace snapped. "And why is it that everyone who comes into contact with you ends up feeling as negative as you?"

Boyd couldn't reply; he was too shocked. He had never expected Grace to explode with such vehemence, and certainly not in public. They fought, of course; their arguments were on of the corner stones of their relationship, but any serious disagreeing was always done behind closed doors. As much as they could, they tried to present a united front to the rest of the team, though who exactly they were trying to fool was unclear.

Taking advantage of Boyd's silence, Grace worked herself up into releasing another barrage of angry words. Unfortunately, that wasn't what came out.

\"Release me, release my body, I know it's wrong, so why am I with you now?"/ she sang.

Boyd wasn't alone in his shocked state; the sound of jaws hitting the floor was very audible as the team stared open-mouthed at Grace. "I…you…it…I…," Boyd stuttered in a most uncharacteristic way.

\"I say release me, 'cause I'm not able to convince myself that I'm better off without you,"/ Grace replied, her expression startled. From her position near the coffee machine, Eve could do nothing but watch like the others, but if she was reading Grace right, the words she was singing were actually reflecting her thoughts and feelings. This was not going to be good.

\"Yeah, it's perfectly clear love is not what you need. Tell you I don't care, but I don't want to."/

Grace's eyes never left Boyd's face. It was like she *couldn't* look away, though she was fervently wishing she *could*. Boyd was just staring at her like he had been struck dumb, and Grace knew the more she opened up, the more the simple look in his eyes would crush her. He just had absolutely no idea that she had any sort of feelings for him, other than as a colleague.

\"Anything that you say, I hear myself agree, and I don't recognize what I've turned into."/

Boyd flinched at Grace's harsh tone, the accusation in her words hitting him harder than a slap in the face with a sledgehammer. But still he thought it was unfair; he had never asked Grace to stay, or to be so compliant or patient with him. He had never made her do anything…except for the odd lie told in a case, but that was for the good of the case, Boyd reasoned to himself.

"Look, Grace, we can…," he started to say, knowing full well his words were worthless because there was no real meaning behind them. He couldn't convince her to stay, even if he wanted to. He just didn't have that power of persuasion, or even the ability to comprehend how to fix a broken situation.

Grace, it seemed, knew exactly what he was going to say. 'We can work this out'. And that was the moment she gave into the song, gave into her feelings, and let rip with her secrets. For a brief second, she wanted to hurt Boyd as much as he had hurt her over the years; whether his actions had been intentional or not didn't matter. That brief second was her undoing.

\"I don't know why I want you so, 'cause I don't need the heart break. I don't know what addictive hold you have on me, I can't shake."/

Eve closed her eyes, not wanting to watch any more. She had seen, from her first day working in the cold case squad, that Grace harboured deep feelings for Boyd, and that Boyd was completely clueless. What was unfolding now could only be likened to a car wreck of the worst kind, and she couldn't bring herself to watch the scene unfold.

Stella wanted to be anywhere but in the room as all the raw emotion spilling out was making her very uncomfortable, but she couldn't move. Her feet felt as though there were stuck in concrete; all she could do was try and block out as much of what was going on as possible.

Spencer was trying to control his anger. He knew how Grace felt as well, and he knew Boyd had no idea, and so every time his boss hurt the profiler, he had to remind himself that Boyd *was* the boss and that any action would damage Spencer's career. But he was getting to the point where he couldn't take it any more. He deliberately glossed over Grace's reluctance to leave, the fact she always stood by Boyd no matter he did, but then complained about his attitude, even though she knew, better than anyone else, what he was like. No, it was easier for Spencer to focus his anger on Boyd, who wouldn't be affected if that rage was directed at him.

\"No, I'm not in control, so let me go. Release me, release my body, I know it's wrong, so why do I keep coming back?"/ Grace sang, a sincere, heart-wrenching note in her voice throbbing, tugging at Boyd's heart strings. \"I say release me, 'cause I'm not able to convince myself that I'm better off without you."/

Boyd wanted to shout, wanted to tell her that she was better off without him; couldn't she see that? Couldn't she see that all he would do would be to hurt her, again and again and again? Why was she being so deliberately blind?

\"I could sleep by myself…."/ Grace shook her head. \"It would burn me alive. Find me somebody else, but I don't want to. Try to leave out the love that goes against the grain, but I can rationalize it if I have to."/

Like a penny the size of the world dropping, the sound when Boyd realised precisely what Grace was telling him was deafening to all concerned. His unconcerned, cold mask fell away and his expression turned completely shocked, unbelieving, and uncertain. Was it real? If so, how the hell was he going to progress with the admission? If not, why was she lying? Boyd felt like ripping his hair out. He wasn't emotionally equipped to deal with people. He never had been and he never would be.

And Grace knew that. Her voice dropping to barely a whisper, tears streaming down her face, she walked up to him. \"I'm not in control, so let me go, 'cause I'm not able to convince myself that I'm better off without you."/

She was asking him, *pleading* him, to give her a damn good reason to stop loving him, or a reason *to* love him….a reason to stay. And Boyd couldn't. Grace swallowed past the lump in her throat and realising there would be no more singing, put her hands on either side of Boyd's face and kissed him. It wasn't passionate or the start of a good thing; it was wet, one-sided and full of pain. And when she pulled away, Boyd felt his cheeks were damp with Grace's tears. A final searching look into his face told her the answers she was looking for weren't there, and with a loud sob, Grace fled the squad room, the building, and quite possibly the team.

TBC


	2. Sharp Dressed Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All lyrics used belong to ZZ Top.

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The team stared at the empty space Grace had left, shocked not only by her sudden departure, but by the sheer emotion in her voice as she sang. And the fact she had been singing. Then, starting with Spencer, they turned to glare at Boyd, the heated accusations clear in their eyes: it was all his fault, just like it always was. He was to blame for every problem the unit had, every failure they endured. He was the one who drove people away, distancing himself for everyone, yet it was them who were made to leave, not the one causing the trouble.

"She'll be back," Boyd said, though his tone lacked any conviction.

"Not if she's got any sense, she won't," Spencer muttered darkly.

Boyd, however, heard him. "If you've got a problem, Spence…."

"Yeah, I do, and it's you!" the DI snapped before his superior could finish his sentence.

"The door's there, DI Jordan," Boyd replied, coming to stand in front of Spencer, almost toe to toe. "Don't let it hit you in the head on the way out!"

"What gives you the right to treat people like shit, *sir*?" he yelled, years of pent up anger suddenly spilling over. Out of the corner of his eye, Spencer could see Eve and Stella's horrified expressions, and both kept twitching, as though they were anticipating having to break up a fight. He knew he should stop talking right now, but he just couldn't. Once the floodgates opened, there was no stopping the onslaught. "Everything that's ever gone wrong around here has all been because of you! Frankie leaving, Mel dying…."

Boyd grabbed a fistful of Spencer's shirt front and hauled him onto his toe-tips. "Don't you *ever* blame me for Mel's death," he said, his voice no more than a low hiss. "If I could have protected her in any way, I would have done. If I could swap places with her right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and I'd have done it then as well!" Boyd let go of his DI and took a step backwards. "You've got a hell of a chip on your shoulder, Jordan, and it has nothing to do with me, so stop looking for someone else to blame. Get it sorted or get the hell out of my unit!" He stormed past Spencer, intent on leaving the offices for a while before he resorted to using his fists.

But Spencer was too angry to listen to reason, from anyone, and he turned, making a grab for Boyd's arm as he opened to mouth to shout back. \"Clean shirt, new shoes, and I don't know where I am goin' to."/

Stella and Eve, both looking pale and slightly wide-eyed, now stared in shock at Spencer. It seemed that the singing was contagious, and both started to look for the nearest exit.

\"Silk suit, black tie, I don't need a reason why."/ Spencer held his hands out, palms up, letting them know he wasn't responsible, and if his expression was anything to go by, he wasn't best pleased either. \"They come runnin' just as fast as they can, 'cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man."/

Boyd was about to hit him for the good of mankind when a horrendous screaming noise reached his ears, and even later, he wasn't sure how he managed to move out of the way so quickly. But it was a good job he did, otherwise he would have been crushed under a herd of stampeding office girls, who crammed into the squad room and immediately started making calf-eyes at Spencer, who looked as though he was caught squarely between heaven and hell. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to decide which it was.

\"Gold watch, diamond ring, I ain't missin' not a single thing,"/ Spencer continued to sing, his expression half-horrified now, but also partly pleased with the image he seemed to be projecting.

"What the *hell* is going on?" Boyd yelled.

"He's singing, sir," Stella replied in a small voice.

Boyd glared at her. "Thank you for that, DC Goodman. Now can you tell me *why* he is singing?"

Stella ducked her head and tried to hide behind Eve, which was an amusing sight as she was taller than the pathologist. "I don't know, sir."

Wishing fervently that Grace was there - not that Boyd thought she would be able to fix the situation, but at least he wouldn't be alone in trying to deal with it - the DSI turned to Spencer.

"Stop…singing," he said slowly.

Spencer nodded, opened his mouth to reply, and…. \"And cufflinks, stick pin, when I step out, I'm gonna do you in."/

All the girls swooned madly, and it was then that Spencer seemed to realise the room was full of females, all staring at him as though he was an Adonis. He started to think that maybe the singing lark wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Boyd, however, was much less than impressed. "Spencer, if you don't shut up right now, I will not be held responsible for my actions!"

But the DI's only response was a rather smug, \"They come runnin' just as fast as they can, 'cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man."/

Spencer was really getting into his groove, rubbing funk on every action…at least that's what he thought he was doing. Eve just thought he looked daft, Boyd was now well past thinking, and Stella…well, she was trying to simply not exist because if everyone was having a turn at singing, she did *not* want to stay in the office.

\"Top coat, top hat, well I don't worry 'cause my wallet's fat,"/ Spencer belted out at the top of his voice.

"Your bloody lip'll be the same if you don't stop SINGING!" Boyd screamed, spittle flying from his mouth as he verged on descending rapidly into a foaming frenzy.

Spencer quite purposefully and deliberately ignored him as he went back to singing and strutting, if possible, even more outrageously than before. \"Black shades, white gloves, lookin' sharp, lookin' for love…."/

Then, before Boyd lost the plot totally, Spencer stopped, a look of dawning comprehension appearing on his face. Eve and Stella both grabbed an arm of Boyd each and waited patiently, a difficult task with the bull between them.

"I'm lonely," Spencer finally admitted, looking ashamed. "I date plenty of girls, but I'm looking for that someone special, and because I haven't found her yet, it's making me grouchy."

Eve glanced at Boyd to see if he had calmed down an iota or not, and past him, she saw Stella. A knowing smile crept onto her face. "Keep looking, Spence. I'm sure she'll turn up one day, probably when you're least expecting it," the pathologist said kindly. "But in the meantime, would you two please kiss and make up? And no more yelling. It's bad enough with Boyd and Grace, without you and Boyd as well, Spence."

Boyd, who actually appeared to be understanding of Spencer's situation, and quite possibly a little sorry for his underling - if his expression was being read right - suddenly grew angry again.

"Work needs doing in the lab, Eve. Things don't get analysed on their own," he snapped, jerking his arms roughly away from the pathologist and Stella. Then he turned his patented glare onto the office girls, who were still milling around. "Don't you lot have somewhere else to be?"

The room emptied quicker than a school on the last day of term. Eve just smiled and pointed wordlessly to the lab, strolling towards it as Spencer collected himself, and Stella tried to disappear into the woodwork. At least until Boyd had calmed down.

TBC


	3. Take a Chance on Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All lyrics used belong to ABBA, and for inspiration (and song version!), I've looked to that amazing film 'Mamma Mia!' because 'Take a Chance On Me' is quite possibly my most favourite bit of the film!

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The silence in the squad room was anything but peaceful. Boyd was emitting waves of grumpiness from the confines of his office, and Spencer was still scowling from his singing debut…when he was smirking to himself. Stella found this behaviour both annoying and appealing, but it was preferable to dealing with Boyd. And Eve…well, she was doing what she did best: hiding well out of the way. As for Grace, everyone was trying not to think about her absence.

However, despite all of Stella's efforts, she just couldn't concentrate. She could have blamed it on the tension in the office, which would have been perfectly believable and acceptable, but it wasn't the reason. She could have blamed it on Grace not being there, and the extraordinary circumstances that had caused her to leave, but that wasn't it either. No, the problem was sat opposite her, and she was starting to stare at it.

"What?" Spencer asked, looking up and being startled by her scrutiny.

"Nothing," Stella replied quickly, looking down at her desk.

Spencer shook his head and went back to reading notes. As soon as his eyes were averted, Stella's were on him again. She just couldn't help it. She started noticing all these little things she'd never paid attention to before, not least of all how attractive he was.

"Need coffee," Eve announced, walking into the room and crossing it in an almost straight line without looking at anyone. Once she had a full mug in her hand, she risked a glance at Boyd. Nothing had changed. Then she glanced at Spencer and Stella, and sensing another immediate explosion of song, quickly retreated to the inner sanctum of Grace's office, hoping to find some calming influence or divine inspiration. And it wasn't a moment too soon.

Stella started sidling up to Spencer, very unobtrusively, until she was right next to his elbow. Then she simply stared at him, willing him to look up. And when he did, Spencer really wished he hadn't.

\"If you change your mind, I'm the first in line,"/ Stella started to sing quietly, and Eve, who had been watching, groaned audibly. Not again.

Spencer was frowning. "Excuse me?"

\"Honey, I'm still free, take a chance on me,"/ Stella replied.

Eve probably wouldn't have minded the singing except that Stella looked like she was actually enjoying herself, and that was just so wrong it was almost right. The pathologist idly wondered how long it would take Boyd to realise what was going one, and she briefly considered warning him. But only briefly. She wasn't *that* nice.

\"If you need me, let me know, gonna be around, if you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down,"/ Stella continued. But her words were heartfelt and her gaze so sincere that Spencer actually started to listen. \"If you're alone when all the pretty birds have flown, honey, I'm still free. Take a chance on me."/

Spencer gulped. "Take a chance on you? Really?"

Stella smiled. \"Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie. If you put me to the test, if you let me try."/

Eve's question of how long it would take Boyd to notice was answered; his scream of anguish was probably heard on the top floor of the building. Whether it was the influence of being in Grace's office or simply because there was no one else around to do it, Eve stood quickly and made to intercept Boyd.

\"Take a chance on me, honey, that's all I ask of you,"/ Stella pleaded, her hands on Spencer's forearm. \"Take a chance on me."/

"Leave them, Boyd. They're happy," Eve told the DSI.

He scowled at her. "You're beginning to sound like Grace. Besides, from where I'm stood only Stella looks happy. Spence looks like a deer caught in the headlights of a car."

"Oh, I don't know," Eve replied, a mysterious smile on her face.

"Please. He needs exit signs all over the place to help him escape," Boyd said.

Eve gave him a sidelong glance. "Care to bet on that?"

"With you? No chance."

\"We can go dancing, we can go walking, as long as we're together."/ Stella had dragged Spencer to his feet and was now leading him around the room, as though he needed a visual aid to her words. \"Listen to some music…."/

\"…Maybe just talking, get to know you better,"/ Spencer sang back, much to his surprise and Stella's…and Eve and Boyd's as well.

"Shoot me, please," Boyd begged, covering his face with his hands.

Eve patted his shoulder. "There, there."

\"'Cause you know I've got so much that I wanna do, when I dream I'm alone with you, it's magic."/

Stella's expression was one of ecstasy. Spencer's was a mixture of fear and something that looked like 'Oh, this might not be so bad after all'. Eve was trying not to laugh or roll her eyes. And Boyd…well, no one could see his face as it was hidden by hands, but from the strangled noises he was making, he wanted to kill or be killed.

Stella suddenly grabbed Spencer's hands. \"You want me to leave it there, afraid of a love affair. But I think you know that I can't let you go."/

Spencer looked surprised. "You can't? I mean, I…I never realised that you…well, I never really thought of you as…until now…."

Stella smiled in understanding. \"Take a chance on me, come on, give me a chance, will you? Take a chance on me."/

"I'm beginning to think that might not be a bad idea," Spencer replied.

Then Stella pushed him away and shook her head. \"Oh, you can take your time, baby, I'm in no hurry, know I'm gonna get you."/

\"You don't wanna hurt me,"/ Spencer told her, his expression serious.

\"Baby, don't worry…."/

\"I ain't gonna let you…."/

Boyd peeked through his fingers. "They're singing in unison…together…finishing each other's sentences. Save me!"

But Eve just nodded. "They're rather good, aren't they?"

Boyd screamed again and retreated completely behind his hands.

\"Let me tell you now, my love is strong enough to last when things are rough, it's magic."/ Stella was singing her heart out, her face luminous with her feelings for Spencer. To Eve, it was beautiful; to Boyd, it was sickening. He was certain he would be in therapy for the rest of his life. \"You say that I waste my time but I can't get you off my mind. No, I can't let you go…."/ Stella suddenly stopped, her eyes going very wide, and her face paling.

Spencer immediately thought the worst. "What is it?" he asked, his tone falling flat. "Changed your mind? I understand."

But the Frenchwoman shook her head frantically. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" Spencer replied, trying to hide his relief. While he'd never admit it, even under pain of death, Stella's song had made him realise that what he was looking had quite possibly been in front of him for a while now.

Stella bit her lip. Eve was silently encouraging her to finish the song, and Boyd was actually doing the same, though for entirely different reasons. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Stella finished. \"'Cause I love you so."/

Spencer stared at her. "You…you love me?"

"I…I think so," Stella replied bashfully.

"Well…let's see what we can do to make it a certainty." Spencer smiled and reached for her hand.

"Thank *Christ* for that!" Boyd said, loudly and emphatically. "Do you think we can all get some bloody work done now?" And with that, he retreated back into his office.

"Congratulations," Eve said warmly to Spencer and Stella before retreating back to her lab. She had the feeling the two of them would need quite of bit of time alone for a while.

TBC


	4. Sex Bomb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? Just don't ask. Seriously. Asking is a bad idea! Oh, and all lyrics used belong to Tom Jones and Mousse T.

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Eve was bored. Sure, there were bodies and forensics to examine, but it was the mind-numbing variety, the kind of problem she could solve in half a minute with her eyes shut, her hands tied behind her back, and twelve pints inside her. Well, maybe eleven and a half. Anyway, the point was she could have her side of the case solved in under five minutes, so why rush? Besides, the singing phenomenon that had gripped the office personnel was far more interesting to her.

Although, if she was totally honest with herself, they were being almost boring in their predictability. She had known from the moment she stepped foot into the offices that Stella had the biggest crush this side of Jupiter on Spencer, who remained unhappily oblivious. And as for Grace and Boyd…one would quite simply have to be *dead* to miss the sexual tension between those two. It was just so bloody *obvious* how Grace felt about Boyd, and whether he knew it or not (general behaviour suggested to Eve that he didn't know), it was obvious he had a thing for her too. In fact, it seemed to the pathologist that Boyd was the only one who *didn't* know how he felt about Grace. It was all just a little too complicated for her to be bothered with. She was more of the philosophy of throwing them both in a room, locking the door and dropping the key somewhere over the Pacific.

Deciding a cigarette break was in order, despite having only been working for ten minutes or so, Eve wandered over to the extractor and lit up. As she inhaled gratefully, she looked around the lab, noting what needed to be tidied, what could be thrown, and what could simply be taken out and burnt. Then she saw the skull from the skeleton she had been examining and sudden manic inspiration struck her. Putting her cigarette down in the ashtray, and glancing furtively about to make sure she was alone, Eve started to advance in a rather sultry way on the unsuspecting skull.

\"Listen to this: spy on me, baby, use satellite, infrared to see me move through the night,"/ the pathologist sang as she circled the tables. \"Aim, gonna fire, shoot me right. Aim, gonna like the way you fight, and I love the way you fight."/

Eve suddenly stopped and shook her head. "Oh, no! No way! I am *not* going to be singing! I refuse. I don't have any issues that need resolving, thank you very much!" And with that, she resolutely turned her back on the skull.

It wasn't long, however, before its non-existent eyes started to bore a hole in the back of her head and the pathologist turned slowly, her own eyes starting to smoulder as she began singing again. \"Now you found the secret code I use to wash away my lonely blues, so I can't lie or deny 'cause you're a…."/ Eve paused, checked she was still alone, and began to strut completely outrageously, hips swinging in a way that should have been totally illegal. \"Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're a sex bomb. And, baby, you can turn me on, baby, you can turn me on."/ She put her finger under the skull's chin, careful not to let it poke through the gaping hole where skin and flesh should have been. \"You know what you're doing to me, don't you? I know you do."/

Suddenly shaking her head again, Eve turned and swore. "What the hell is wrong with me? I do not have problems that need solving, so what am I? Some sort of filler before the end? Well, I don't want to play any more."

She stalked off, but the skull's holes-for-eyes kept following her, neat trick considering it was facing the exact opposite direction. But her hips kept wanting to do something outrageous, and her shoulders wanted to move to the (imaginary) groove too, and Eve had the feeling she was fighting a losing battle.

\"No, don't get me know, ain't gonna do you no harm. This bomb's made for loving, you can shoot it far."/ Now she was making gestures to accompany the words, and the moment that happened, Eve knew she was doomed and decided there was nothing for it but to go with the flow. \"I'm your main target, come and help me ignite. Love struck, holdin' me tight, hold me tight, darlin'. Make me explode, though you know the route to sex me slow. And yes, I must react to claims of those you say you're not all that."/

Out in the squad room, Boyd opened the door of his office so forcefully he managed to imbed it into the wall. "WHO IS SINGING?" he screeched in a fair imitation of a fish wife attempting to shout to her husband who was already well out to sea.

"Not me," Stella said quickly, her eyes wide.

"Done my share," Spencer added.

They all looked at each other, then at the lab. Boyd groaned. "Oh, please tell me she isn't."

"I'm not volunteering to check," Spencer said, holding his hands up.

Stella quickly shook her head. "You're not delegating to me because I'm the junior officer…and the youngest here!"

"Alright. Draw straws?" Boyd suggested.

Meanwhile, back in the lab, singing away happily and obliviously (and at the very top of her voice), was Eve…who was dancing around the room with the skull.

\"Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're a sex bomb. You can give it to me when I need to come along. Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're my sex bomb, and, baby, you can turn me on, turn me on, darlin'. You can give me more and more, counting up the score, you can turn me upside down, inside out. You can make me feel the real deal, and I can give it to you any time because you're mine! Ouch, sex bomb, aw baby!"/

Eve suddenly stopped singing, the tingling sensation on the back of her neck warning her of onlookers, and she turned. "What?" she asked, not a hint of embarrassment on her face, though the skull looked as though it was blushing a nice shade of beetroot.

Spencer shook his head. "You've got some serious problems."

"Actually, I'm the most well-balanced person here," Eve replied.

"You think?" Boyd asked sarcastically.

"I don't have issues with anyone or myself," the pathologist declared. "Which is why I was singing quite happily to no one."

"Except the skull," Boyd muttered before looking at Spencer and Stella.

The three of them stared at Eve, and the skull, for a long minute, then looked at each other. "Denial!" they chorused - Boyd having decided if one could not beat them, one simply had to join them - and trooped out of the lab.

Eve hesitated, attempting to be insulted and failing miserably, and then ran after them, remembering to place the skull lovingly back where she had taken it from. Unfortunately, something had caused them all to halt, and she ran smack into the back of Boyd.

"Someone should fit you with brake lights," she muttered, peering around him. "Why are we…? Oh."

TBC


	5. Fall For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics in this chapter belong to Secondhand Serenade.

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Grace stood near the doors of the squad room, though it was unclear whether she was just coming or just going. It may have been Boyd's imagination, but it seemed like she had a bemused look on her face, one which quickly faded when she saw them all coming out of the lab.

"I'm interrupting," Grace said, her tone as stiff as her body had become. "I just thought…." She took a deep breath. "I just thought you might need me. Obviously I was wrong."

"No, wait, Grace!"

The exclamation wasn't a surprise, but it was the voice that exclaimed it that stopped the profiler in her tracks. It was a voice she knew all too well, a voice that haunted her every second of every day, whether she was asleep or awake.

"We weren't talking about the case, or anything remotely serious, for that matter," Boyd continued, taking a step towards her.

"Eve was singing to a skull," Stella announced brightly, attempting to inject some levity into the situation.

"So? You were singing to Spence!" Eve retorted.

Stella shrugged. "At least he's alive."

"That's half the problem."

"I am stood here, you know," Spencer said.

Eve patted his shoulder. "Yes, dear, we know."

Boyd threw them a glare before looking back at Grace. "Don't go."

"Why not?" she asked wearily.

"I…because…."

Stuttering was not a characteristic of Boyd's, but in that instant he felt as though he had run up against a brick wall. In Grace's brief absence - she had been gone for only a few hours - he had come to realise several hard truths. And unfortunately, he had the others to thank for the revelations. Eve's attempt to convince them all she didn't have issues made Boyd realise he was doing exactly what the pathologist was; running away from his problems, ignoring their very existence as best he could. Of course Eve didn't actually have issues; Boyd suspected the whole point was to make him see his own.

Then Spencer's admission of loneliness had struck a chord so deep in Boyd it hurt. He was lonely, without partner or friends to speak of, but he had convinced himself that it didn't matter, that he didn't need either. He didn't need anyone. How wrong he was. He needed his team, and he needed Grace. Even Stella's contribution to the madness had made him see that he wanted nothing more than a chance with Grace, though he knew he probably didn't deserve her even contemplating such a thing.

And now she was stood in front of him, not leaving but unsure whether she should stay or not. It was like she was waiting for him, giving *him* yet another chance to see what had always been right in front of him. And with that thought, several things clicked into place in Boyd's mind, not least of which were his feelings concerning Grace.

There had been silence in the room, but suddenly Boyd's face began to contort and he looked like he was fighting a losing battle with himself. "Oh, shit."

Spencer turned to his companions. "Cover your ears."

Stella uncovered her. "What?"

Eve shook her head. "Never mind."

\"The best thing 'bout tonight's that we're not fighting. Could it be that we have been this way before?"/ Boyd started to sing, surprising everyone not only with his baritone voice but with the sincerity in his tone. \"I know you don't think that I am trying. I know you're wearing thin down to the core."/

"Right on both accounts, Boyd," Grace replied, seemingly unfazed by his singing. "You've taken everything I've got to give, and given nothing back but heartache and pain. I have nothing left for you, and anyone else, for that matter."

Her words stung more than a sharp slap to the face, but Boyd had experienced a small glimpse of how to make things right. All he had to do was keep her in the room long enough to listen to him, and try his best to ignore the unwanted audience. Shaking his head, he held Grace with his gaze.

"You're wrong," he said softly.

"How?" A single word, spoken so quietly, felt like a knife to his heart.

Two great tears appeared in the corners of Boyd's eyes, glistening like jewels, and the tracks they made as they ran down his cheeks shone in the dim lights of the room. But what Grace found more disarming and heart-rending than the uncharacteristic display of vulnerability was the look in his eyes. Coupled with the helpless expression on his face, it was a state she had never seen him in before. But while Grace wanted to believe him, she needed more.

\"This is not what I intended. I always swore to you I'd never fall apart,"/ Boyd continued, his normal frustrated tone showing through. \"You always thought that I was stronger. I may have failed…."/ He paused as he swallowed thickly. \"…But I have loved you from the start."/

Grace gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. At the back of the room, Stella clapped her hands across her eyes, Spencer kept them over his ears, and Eve mirrored Grace.

"You can't be serious," the profiler whispered. "Please, Boyd, don't joke…."

He took another step forward, once again shaking his head. \"So breathe in so deep, breathe me in, I'm yours to keep,"/ Boyd sang, nodding this time at Grace's incredulous look. \"And hold on to your words 'cause talk is cheap. And remember me tonight, when you're asleep."/

Grace gave a semi-bitter laugh. "I can't forget you, that's the problem!"

\"But hold your breath because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you, over again. Don't make me change my mind, or I won't live to see another day, I swear it's true,"/ Boyd sang to Grace, his words heartfelt. \"Because a girl…."/ He shrugged apologetically. \"…Like you is impossible to find. You're impossible to find."/

Silently, Eve grabbed Spencer and Stella by the arms and dragged them out of the squad room. They'd all heard more than enough.

Tentatively, Boyd reached for the profiler's hand. "Stay, Grace. Please."

But Grace remained silent.

"Do you want me to beg? I'll get down on my knees if I have to," he said softly.

"That won't be necessary," Grace replied, equally as softly. "I'll stay."

Boyd breathed a huge sigh of relief before kissing the back of her hand. "Then why the hesitation?"

"I wanted to make sure you'd stopped singing!"

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From behind a parked car outside, Sweet shook his head. \"For once I was wrong, you guys sure can carry a song. Here I was hopin' for gloom, and what do I get? A happiness boom. It makes me sick, I can't stand it any more. I'm up and gone, headin' out the door."/ With a puff of smoke, the demon was gone.

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Grace frowned and turned. "Did you hear something?"

"You asking me to kiss you," Boyd replied, and doing just that before she could object.

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sing Sweet's contribution any way you want to! (Don't worry, he's gone back to the Sunnydale area now!)


End file.
